1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of land vehicles, and to the particular field of land vehicles which include one or more ski-like runners.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The sport of riding snowmobiles has become very popular in many areas. Obviously, riding a snowmobile is most popular where there are deep packs of snow and/or ice. Generally, a snowmobile has a continuously rotating drive track in the rear that contacts the snow and/or ice and ski-type runner elements in the front that ride on the snow and/or ice.
While this construction is quite efficient for snow and/or ice surfaces, many snowmobiles encounter terrain that is covered by snow and/or ice and is also free of such covering. In such situations, many snowmobiles are not efficient and, in some cases, cannot be operated at all due to the lack of proper ground covering.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that can be used to permit a snowmobile to operate on snow- or ice-covered surfaces and also on snow-free surfaces.
Since a person operating a snowmobile does not wish to stop operation of the vehicle to change the configuration of the vehicle, any system on such a vehicle that is intended to accommodate both snow and/or ice covered surfaces as well as surfaces that are not covered with snow or ice should be easy and quick to change or such a system may not be commercially viable.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that can be used to permit a snowmobile to operate on snow- or ice-covered surfaces and also on snow-free surfaces and which can be quickly and easily deployed.
Any system that can be changed from one configuration to another should be secure in either configuration. That is, if the system is in the snow/ice-engaging mode, it should be very secure in that configuration, and if the system is in the road-engaging mode, it should also be very securely maintained in that mode as well.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that can be used to permit a snowmobile to operate on snow- or ice-covered surfaces and also on snow-free surfaces and which can be quickly and easily deployed and which is securely stored when not in use.
Since snowmobiling is such a popular passtime, many people already own a snowmobile. To be most commercially successful, any mechanism or accessory for such vehicles should be adaptable for use on either new or existing vehicles. If the mechanism or accessory is to be used on an existing vehicle, it should be very easy to be retrofit onto the existing vehicle or owners of such vehicles will not accept the accessory.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that can be used to permit a snowmobile to operate on snow- or ice-covered surfaces and also on snow-free surfaces and which can be easily and quickly retrofit on an existing snowmobile.
Any accessory for a vehicle such as a snowmobile should obtain more commercial success if that accessory enhances already-existing features of the vehicle. Thus, any snowmobile accessory that is intended to enable the vehicle to operate on snow- or ice-free surfaces will be more acceptable if that same feature can be used to enhance the operation of the vehicle on snow or ice as well, if desired.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that can be used to permit a snowmobile to operate on snow- or ice-covered surfaces and also on snow-free surfaces and can be used to enhance the steering capability of a snowmobile on snow.